Apollon of Olympia

The sculptures of the west pediment depicted the battle of the Lapiths against the Centaurs, following the wedding feast of Peirithous and Hippodamia.

The battle of the Lapiths (legendary inhabitants of Thessaly) against the Centaurs (wild forest inhabitants with a human upper half and the body of a horse) frequently acted as a mythological metaphor for the conflicts between the Greeks and the Barbarians.

Most of the figures in this turbulent battle scene were discovered during the German excavations of 1875, led by the archaeologist Georg Treu.

With his outstretched right arm, he seemed to order an end to the iniquity: the Centaurs had betrayed the Lapiths' hospitality, drunk to excess, and kidnapped their women.

The back of the sculpture, which had not been visible to viewers, is notable for being more roughly worked than the front.